Why many students might not be choosing 'right' college
Had Alexis Calatayud known more about her college options four years ago, things might have been different.
A Miami native from a middle-income family, Ms. Calatayud set her sights early on Florida International University, a local public research institution, dismissing most other options as beyond her price range. Paying extra to live away from home, she says, was something she and many of her peers, who are in similar or worse situations, were reluctant to do.
鈥淲e go to FIU because it makes sense economically. It makes sense not to have to pay for room and board,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what my options were.鈥�
That sentiment 鈥� 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know鈥� 鈥� is at the root of a wave of initiatives, rolled out over the past few years by both the government and nonprofits, to connect students to the best college options by removing as many fiscal and informational barriers to enrollment as possible.
Driven by new technology and now-available data, these efforts 鈥� which range from financial aid calculators to text services that remind students of upcoming deadlines 鈥� aim to kick up college enrollment rates, especially among high-performing students from low-income families.
In the long run, such initiatives could reduce lost opportunities for students and also reap economic benefits听for the country, experts say.听
鈥淭here are students ready for college who decide not to apply, or who get in and decide not to attend, because they may not be aware they qualify for aid. Or they may be aware aid exists but find the process of applying cumbersome,鈥� says Benjamin Castleman, an assistant professor of education and public policy at the University of Virginia听in Charlottesville.
Presenting students with the full range of their options and providing support during 鈥渃ritical junctures鈥� in their road to college could make a significant impact in their decision to enroll, he says 鈥� something that听听, at least听on a听small scale.
鈥淥ne of the biggest barriers is [students] don鈥檛 know their options,鈥� says Calatayud, now a senior majoring in political science at FIU and president of the student government. 鈥淭hey just pick price tags.鈥�
Seeking solutions
This month, the Obama administration introduced听, meant to help prospective college students identify which schools maximize tuition price, and announced an effort to听simplify the process听of applying for federal student aid.
On Monday, a group of 80 leading colleges and universities听听to develop a free platform of online tools to improve the college admission application process for all students.
And at the 20th anniversary conference of the National College Access Network (NCAN) this week, the nonprofit corporation ECMC Group launched the听, an online, mobile-friendly service that compares costs between colleges for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch 鈥� without requiring them to visit each institution鈥檚 website or asking them complicated questions about their parents鈥� tax or income information.
鈥淸W]e鈥檙e removing some of the key barriers preventing low-income students from exploring their full range of college options,鈥� said Abigail Seldin, vice president of Innovation & Product Management at ECMC, in a statement.
鈥淚nstitutions don鈥檛 always put their net price calculators in easy-to-find pages on their website,鈥� adds Carrie Warick, director of policy and partnerships at NCAN. 鈥淭his is a great tool to help give students a more accurate idea of what college will cost.鈥�
From听2011-12, about 2 million students who would have qualified for a federal Pell Grant 鈥� which the government awards to undergraduates with financial need 鈥� never even applied, according to by student financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz, who publishes Edvisors.
Many of these students said they assumed they were ineligible, did not know how to apply, or thought the forms involved were too much work, Mr. Kantrowitz found.
At the same time, more than a fifth of high-performing, low-income students never go to college, compared to only 5 percent of higher-income students at the same achievement level, according to a report released last year by听听which advocates for low-income students. A exists between high- and low-income students in the US 鈥� a figure relatively unchanged since 1975, according to the National Center for Education Statistics听in Washington.
鈥淭hese very smart, very poor kids 鈥� are not applying to college,鈥� says Harold Levy, executive director of the Virginia-based Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, an independent organization that provides scholarships to high-achieving students from the lowest income brackets. 鈥淭hat is a loss for the country, and a profound unfairness to these kids.鈥�
'That might have changed my life'
Calatayud, the FIU student, notes that a better knowledge of what her choices were could have made a significant difference. 鈥淚 love my institution, but what if I could have found another option for less cost and in the field I specialize in?鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat might have changed my life.鈥�
She adds that, as a second-generation college student, she received ample support from her parents during her application process. 鈥淏ut for so many students, you have to figure it out yourself,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his resource changes so many things.鈥�
While efforts to reduce information barriers are undoubtedly helpful, they don鈥檛 address the real problem when it comes to college access: cost, says Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of educational studies and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
鈥淭hese tools are nudges鈥� [but] they don鈥檛 make college cheaper,鈥� she says. At the end of the day, 鈥渢his is about cash. There is no substitute.鈥�
She adds that it will take time before anyone sees the larger, long-term effects of these efforts. "I'll take the small wins where I can get it," Professor Goldrick-Rab says, "but we have to be careful not to pat ourselves on the back too much yet."听
For real change to take place, there鈥檚 also a need to create a broader college-going culture in schools, so that students are encouraged to maximize their potential and explore their options at every step of the educational pipeline, says Eboni Zamani-Gallaher, a professor of higher education and community college leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
鈥淪implifying the process is a good thing. Any efforts to make it easier is a good thing,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut we still have a ways to go.鈥�
